


OP

by chlolou1208



Category: Emmerdale, vanity - Fandom
Genre: Cancer, Charity is a softie, F/F, Family, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlolou1208/pseuds/chlolou1208
Summary: Basically a one shot about the day before Vanessa’s operation.
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Comments: 2
Kudos: 71





	OP

**Author's Note:**

> Just got bored didn’t I? :)
> 
> Hope everyone likes this :)

Vanessa is reminded of her upcoming operation almost every morning as she walks past the calendar hung up on the side of the kitchen cabinet door. It’s drawn in a red marker, two letters “OP”. Every time she see’s it she wants to scribble it out but then sighs and remembers she’s the one who stuck it there in the first place. She’d thought it might be helpful, having the number of days shown in pale coloured squares until the dreaded 18th. She thought it might give her structure, so she’s aware of how many days she has left to work, to prepare an overnight bag for the hospital, to spend time with the family… Until everything changes. 

She’d seen Noah’s face when he’d checked on the calendar one morning to see if his homework was due, he’d done a double take and then frowned deeply. He didn’t mention anything to her though, just smiled and said goodbye before he left for school. 

It’s a day away now. Charity is…being Charity. She’s rushing about tidying the house and checking to make sure Vanessa had packed the essentials. She’d probably rummaged through the bag twice to check if Vanessa had remembered her favourite fluffy socks. It’s sweet though, Vanessa thinks, but it’s not like she’ll care what socks she’s wearing while undergoing a life changing surgery. The pains worse too, everyone can tell, even Moses isn’t jumping up on her lap every two seconds asking her to play cars with him.

She sits on the sofa most of the day, the house is quiet as all the kids are at school or nursery and Charity is at the pub until around tea time. Vanessa had wanted to go into work this morning, she assured Charity that she felt fine and not to worry about her while pulling pints. She gave her a smile and a longing kiss on the way out this morning but unfortunately she hadn’t even made it halfway across the road before she felt a gnawing pain in her stomach. 

It’s strange how unnerving and odd she finds the quietness of the house, before coming to the village and even in the first few years of living here she’d practically lived in silence. From a young age she’d grown up in a quiet household, her mum hating any type of loud noise, music, parties… She’d been used to the quiet, but now she hates it. She loves hearing Johnny and Moses chattering and laughing to whatever cartoon they’re watching. She even finds herself liking it when Sarah blasts her music out when she gets ready for school in the morning, not caring who hears her sing out of key, she wishes she’d been that carefree when younger. And obviously Charity and Noah create a lot of noise when they’re bickering about who’d left the fridge door open or who’s turn it was to choose the film they watched. 

A loud ping interrupts the silence, she see’s it’s a text from Charity and smiles. 

‘On way home babe, want anything bringing from David’s? x’

She types out a response asking for a packet of M&M’s and something for the kids to munch on when they’re home. Looking at the clock, she realises that she has about twenty minutes of quiet before Tracy brings the two little ‘uns home. 

‘Packet of M&M’s coming up madaam ;) x’ 

*

“Hey babe…” Charity comes in and removes her coat quickly, rambling on as she does “god I tell you what, whoever did the weather report on the telly this morning saying that people would be safe going out without a brolly was completely wrong because I am flipping soaked”. 

Vanessa frowns at Charity’s saturated hair from her spot on the sofa. She tuts, “I do tell you to never trust those things, they’re always a hundred percent wrong”. Charity kicks her shoes off and walks around to the front of Vanessa, handing her the bag of chocolate. “Yeah yeah, and you’re always a hundred percent right cos you’re a clever vet we know…” Charity throws a wink her way and pecks her lips. 

“That’s right” Vanessa says with a smug smile. Charity removes her damp cardigan and hangs it over the radiator. 

“Speaking of, did you end up not going to work?”

Vanessa nods. “I was gonna but…I felt a bit of pain on the walk over and thought it was best I came back here…” Charity pouts and runs a hand over Vanessas head before sitting down next to her. “To be honest even if I tried, I don’t think I could have gotten my legs to walk over there”. She says defeatedly. Charity just kisses her hand and asks if she wants a brew, knowing Vanessa doesn’t want to hear the typical ‘sorry you’re in pain’ or ‘how can I help’. 

Charity hands her a milky tea and sits down next to her. “Thanks” Vanessa smiles and takes a sip, “Just how I like it”. Charity grins. Charity turns to face her then, her hand reaching up to twirl a strand of Vanessa’s hair around her finger. “So, how you feeling about tomorrow?” Charity asks, she takes a breath and braces herself for a breakdown perhaps, or even for Vanessa to avoid the question all together and clam up. Her fiancé sighs and stares at the ring on her hand that rests on her lap. Eventually she says, “honestly?” Charity responds by saying always and pats her knee twice. “Terrified, that I’m not gonna wake up and something will go wrong or they’ll not be able to remove the tumour and I’ll be stuck with cancer slowly taking over my body” Vanessa blurts out, tears threatening to spill over. Charity tries to get Vanessa to meet her eyes by tilting her chin towards her but her fiancé pulls away quickly and wipes her face as the tears begin to fall. She sees a sob wrack through Vanessa’s body and tries to pry her hands away from her now tear filled face, Vanessa resists but then allows Charity to wrap her hands up in her own.

“Ness…” Charity starts to say but can’t finish. She feels a sob shake her own shoulders and takes a deep breath. Vanessa smiles at her through the tears, “it’s ok, you don’t have to say anything… Words can’t make this better”. Charity shakes her head.

“Maybe not…but doctors and nurses can, the operation tomorrow is a step in your recovery isn’t it babe, it’s just the start not the end” Charity says trying her best to make her words sound believable. 

“Things go wrong though, all the time, they can’t promise that nothing will tomorrow-“

“Yeah but listen, you’re a vet aren’t you, saver of all tiny animals even when the odds are stacked against them, you try your best. Most of the time you save them all”  
She leans forward to catch a tear on Vanessas cheek.   
“And that’s the same for the doctors that’ll be working on this surgery for ya, they’ll be trying their hardest to make sure you’re ok, as ok as you can be anyway”

Vanessa stares into Charity’s eyes, and Charity can tell the woman in front of her is desperately trying to believe what she’s saying, to be on board with this ‘everything will be fine’ mantra. It does seem to be working a bit too, something in Vanessa’s eyes seem brighter by the time she finishes speaking and she smiles slightly.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yeah I do, I think that after your op you’ll be ordering the kids to fetch you coffees and cakes from the hospital café and you’ll be telling all those nurses how weak you like your tea, you’ll give Johnny a hug and let Moses shove his new car in your face”. Vanessa laughs then. “And then when your tired I’ll stroke your hair like you like me to do and you’ll face asleep in them uncomfortable hospital beds which’ll probably put you in a bad mood the day after” Vanessa makes an ‘o’ shape with her mouth and slaps Charity’s shoulder lightly. 

“Then you’ll come home, and we’ll get ready for chemo and whatever else is coming our way, together, always” 

Vanessa kisses her and whispers, “always”. 

*

“Go on then munchinks go see ya mummies” Tracy comes in through the door about half an hour later, her hands full with two Paw Patrol bags, two homework folders and a bag of clothes. Charity and Vanessa had insisted she’d stayed at theirs tonight, Vanessa had wanted everyone close to her on the night before her operation and she appreciated Charity being so good about having Tracy stay. 

“Mummy mummy look what I did!” Moses climbs between Vanessa and Charity, still on the sofa after their chat earlier on. 

Vanessa gasps dramatically, “wow what a little artist you are Moses! We’ll have to put that on the fridge won’t we?” She holds a picture that Moses had drawn of their ‘familey’. She shows Charity who nods with a huge grin as well, “That’s great kidda” she says smiling. Johnny comes round the sofa slower and climbs up onto Charity’s knee yawning. “Well that was a big yawn mister, you tired?”. He nods slowly, “we was playing ball loads today” he says and rests his cheek against Charity’s arm. 

Tracy slings herself on the corner of the sofa then, “when I picked him up the teacher said he’d scored the most goals at play them today out of his whole class isn’t that right Johnny”

He nods. 

“Well looks like we’ve got a little David Beckham in the family don’t it” Charity says poking Jonny’s nose fondly, he scrunchies his nose up and sticks his tongue out in response. 

Vanessa looks on at them all together. Johnny and Tracy perfectly at home as charity makes funny faces at her youngest son. She sees Moses lean into Charity’s side then and start chatting with Johnny who seems to be listening to him intently. She smiles to herself, if the worst does happen tomorrow, even though after Charity’s chat she’s slightly more hopeful about it all, she knows that there’s no one else she’d rather trust her son with.


End file.
